


Bumpy Roads and Rough Waters Ahead

by orphan_account



Series: Benedict and Christie [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-01-27 01:41:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1710356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nine months after meeting Benedict, life seems to be really good for Christie. But is she really that happy with all the new found fame?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a sequal to Love, Life and Everything Else, so If you haven't read that, go check it out! As always, I hope you enjoy!

9 months later…

I run a hand over my face, exhausted, at the office desk. My life had changed over the passed few months. Mine and Ben’s relationship has been a dream. I had never been happier with anyone. It turns out that when he dropped me at the studio, a camera had snapped a picture of us kissing, and so naturally, the whole world knew. After that we attended premiers and music festivals together. I had met his darling parents, and we were so happy.   
My career was doing well. Lots of albums had been sold, and concerts were starting to sell out. I also started visiting schools to teach music and dance at, especially special needs schools and collages. During the time between collage and my career, I worked in several special needs collages as experience, so I thought it would be a good idea.  
My welfare had been another story.  
The amount of work that stacked up was colossal. I wasn’t only performing and rehearsing with Ali and Rita, but I was also managing and having to come up with new songs. I had hinted towards them that I could use some extra help, but they laughed it off. Both Ali and Rita have been acting differently lately, like the fame and attention has changed them. They take things for granted, leaving me to clear up the mess left behind.  
The extra press attention had been wearing me down too. I couldn’t leave the flat without being bombarded by them. It had made it harder for me and Ben to get some privacy. Its like I cant go anywhere without wearing make up, otherwise I’ll be judged.  
The extra pressure had been taking mental as well as physical tolls. I have been forgetting things lots more, such as the dance routines. Every time this happened, I couldn’t help but get so angry at myself, leading to some minor breakdowns. At first they were infrequent and small. Rita and Ali were very sympathetic at first, but as they got more frequent, they just let me crawl into the corner and cry it out, just leaving me there.  
I never cry in front of Ben though. Things seem to be going so well for him at the moment, he won’t need to bare my sombre stories to dampen the mood. I don’t want to hold him back and be a drag.  
At the moment, I was in the office at the studio, sorting out the final arrangement for the next venue. My phone on the table next to me buzzed. A text from Benedict.  
I’m just setting out now, will be 10 mins ;)

I smile at the text. My perfect boyfriend. At that moment there was a know at the door, and I see Rita popping her head round the door.  
“Tut tut, texting whilst on the job. It’s a wonder we get any gigs.” Anger grows in my stomach. The problem is that she thinks she’s joking, and that seriously pisses me off. I stay silent. She sighs.  
“Well, I’ll leave you with the work, make sure I have a gin and tonic in the dressing room when we arrive.”  
That does it.  
“You know, you and Ali could actually help instead of leaving it all up to me. Get your own bloody gin and tonic from the bar like the rest of us,” I snap.  
“Whoa, chill,” she laughs. “I’m just making the most of the fame,” she sneers.  
“No, you’re taking advantage of it and letting it change you, a once reasonable person into a self-centred bitch. Ali as well!” I say, anger coursing through my veins.  
“Us? You’re the self-centred one, taking up precious rehearsal time with your petty crying sessions.”  
“Petty? You think I like feeling helpless, exhausted and used?”  
“No, you like the attention,” and with that she stalks out of the office. I wait until I hear the studio shut when I scream in frustration. I fling the papers on the desk all over the floor, along with my phone. I internally curse myself, making me cry harder. I drop to my knees and pick up the phone and look at the cracked screen. Messages from Ben.  
-I’m outside now ☺

-You there?

-I’m coming inside now.

I hear the door open and I bury my head in my knees and hug them closer.  
“Christie?”  
I don’t respond. The office door opens and I hear the footfalls rushing over to my side.   
“Christie?” I don’t know why but his voice is making me sob harder. His arms encircle me and he pulls me into his chest. I grab onto his shirt and place my head in the crook of his neck. He whispered comforting things in my ear, and continued to do so until I calmed down about 5 minutes later. He silently lifted me from the floor and took my hand, leading me to the car. The journey to my house was silent as Ben concentrated on driving and I stared out of the window. The only attempted communication was when he held my hand, which as resting on my leg, and squeezed it affectionately. I must’ve fallen asleep then, because the next time I open my eyes, my alarm is going off. It’s the morning and I’m tucked up in my own bed. I have an hour until I have to be at the studio, so I sit on the edge of the bed for a minute. The door sneaks open and Ben wanders in and sits on the edge of the bed next to me, grabbing my hand with one of his, and caressing my cheek with the other. I also grab the back of his neck and push our foreheads together.  
“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but what did happen last night?” He whispers. I take my forehead off his and take a deep breath to compose myself.  
“Rita told me how self-centred I’m being, and yet she can’t see that it’s her and Ali who’ve changed.” I stare at the wall in thought. “Maybe it is me who’s changed. Me who’s being self-centred and overdramatic.” I see Ben shaking his head.  
“You haven’t changed one bit. You will always be my caring and beautiful angel.”  
I look at him through watery eyes as a tear falls down my cheek. He wipes it off my cheek with the pad of his thumb.   
I snap out of my trance and blink.   
“I have…to get to the studio.” I go to stand up but Ben’s strong arms pulls me back down to the bed.  
“No, you need to rest,” he tells me.  
“No, no, I have to. You see we’re doing final rehearsals for tonight’s performance,” I say as his arms push me down so I’m lying down.  
“No, You’re staying here.” He says. My eyes begin to droop.  
“But…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence as I drifted off to sleep.  
Next time I wake up its lunchtime. I hear angry voices coming from my living room. I open the door silently and creep in, walking towards the two people slowly. It is easy to distinguish both Benedict’s and Rita’s voices  
“She’s ill. Why is it that all you care about is the performances and the shows when the health of your friend is at risk of deteriorating!”  
“You can hardly call her a friend after all she has done to disrupt the hard work me and Ali have put in, with her little breakdowns. She only wants the attention, and we know that now!”  
“How dare you think that she is attention seeking when she is actually going through so much stress sorting things out, not for herself, but for you and Ali.”  
I lift a hand to my head and wince, their shouting was so loud it hurt.  
I round the corner so I’m in view to both of them.  
“Stop shouting,” I tell them in a quiet and weak voice. Breathing was becoming difficult and I could hear my breaths echoing in my head. My vision was becoming unfocused and black spots appear. A ringing in my ears is sounding. I see Ben calling my name, but I can’t hear it. It’s too much. I collapse into blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking so long! I only have one exam left, so I sould update a bit quicker next time. I hope its good, enjoy!

1 week later…

My eyes flutter open to the sounds of a low voice, telling me to wake up. My unfocused eyes see an outline if someone’s face, but I can’t make out who it is. A warm hand slips into my limp one, which spreads a warmth that radiates up my whole arm. There’s only one person who that can be.  
“Ben?” I ask, my voice barely audible. A sigh of relief sounds from his lips.  
“Christie? You’re awake?” Another sigh, followed by a laugh, followed by a cry.  
My eyes flutter curiously around the room.  
“Where am I? And what happened?” I close my eyes trying to remember. “I remember loud voices and something to do with lunch?” Ben chuckles.  
“Yes, you were very stressed. I made you sleep and told the studio you couldn’t go in. Rita wasn’t very happy about that, and came to my house to tell me how she was unhappy about that. During our argument, you came in and told us to stop shouting, and then you fell into a coma for a week.” He held my hand close to his heart and peppered it with kisses. “I missed you so much,” He tells me, and he starts crying again.  
“I missed you too. I love you.” I tell him. This took him aback. Whenever we declared our love for each other, he always said it and I’d say something like “I know” or “to you too,” but I never said the words “I love you,” to him like that.  
He laughs with relief, “I love you too, so much.”  
Later that day we had a visit from the doctor.  
“Miss Foster? I’m doctor Williams, I need to ask you a few questions before I can tell you exactly what’s wrong with you, ok?” I nod and he continues. Ben has been holding my hand all afternoon, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  
“Right, in the lead up to your coma, were you stressed or under a lot of pressure?”  
“Yes.”  
“Did you experience muscle cramps and aches?”  
“Yes.”  
“Did you feel tired a lot?”  
“Yes.”  
“Decreased concentration? Memory loss?”  
“Yes.”  
“Fatigue?”  
“Yup.”  
“Any drops in body temperature?”  
“Not that I noticed,” I start but Ben interrupts.  
“I think you did, your body seemed cold whenever I touched you, and you shivered in your sleep a lot.”  
“Really?” I ask surprised.  
“Yes, I had to cover you with a blanket most nights.”  
“Oh,” I say thoughtfully, I hadn’t even realised. The doctor smiled for a second, then informed us of my problem.  
“I had a hunch about what it was, but the things you have just told me confirmed that. Stress. Your body was under a lot of stress, and that made it very difficult for your body to function properly. This means that less oxygen could get to the brain, leading to your coma.” He pauses for a moment. Ben looks at me anxiously and squeezes my hand again. The doctor continues.  
“For the meantime, you can’t be left on your own unsupervised I’m afraid. Work and stress related issues can’t be even thought about until your health allows it, but we’ll give you more information about that when you come for a check-up’s. But until then, rest and stay unstressed. And also no strenuous exercise or sexual activity for a few weeks until you’ve made a full recovery. Maybe a holiday or a spa would do you some good, when you’re up to it of course. Any questions?”  
Ben was very anxious, I can tell.  
“No, thank you.”  
When the doctor leaves, Ben turns his anxious face to me.  
“Why didn’t you tell me you felt all of that? All this time I thought you were fine, you seemed so happy.” I move my hand to his face and stroke his cheek.  
“I was and still am happy with you. Your career was going so well, and you were so happy. I didn’t want to ruin that. It would have killed me if I made you unhappy,” I tell him truthfully. He wastes no time in jumping on my bed and holding me so close. I missed the way he buried his face in my hair, his cologne, and his strong arms encircling me. I had missed this.  
“What have you done all week?” I make conversation, but I was also curious.  
“What do you think I did? I stayed here with you.” He tells me.  
“But you must’ve gone home?” I tell him, more like a question then a statement.  
“The only time I left you was yesterday, when I thought you might not like it if you woke up and I smelled like I hadn’t washed in a week. I got my parents to bring things for you and me.”  
“For me? How did they get my stuff?”  
“They found the supplies of stuff you keep at mine.”  
“Ben!” I giggle. “That stash had private things in! Like my sexy underwear and condoms! Jesus, Why didn’t you go home yourself!” I laugh, “What did I do to deserve you?” He chuckles into my hair.  
“You were your own beautiful self,” He whispers.  
“Did you really call me beautiful when I haven’t washed in a week?”  
“You always beautiful to me,” He whispers in my ear.

We both sit in each other’s embraces for the rest of the day, sharing the hospital bed. I had a visit from Ben’s parents, who are absolute darlings and brought me lot of chocolate that, between the four of us was consumed quickly. Ali had popped in briefly. According to Ben, Ali had been visiting everyday during the past week to see if I was ok. Apparently she felt really guilty that she was one of the reasons I was pushed over the edge. However, there had been no word from Rita. No surprise there. Ali had told me how the tour was in hold until my health had returned to normal. Ben excused himself and left my room so we could talk. As soon as he left she burst into tears and grabbed hold of my hand.  
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” I squeezed her hand and comforted her.  
“There’s no need to apologise, it wasn’t anyone’s fault.”  
“No, it is! It’s mine and Rita’s. I promised myself before the tour that I would always be myself. Its didn’t take very long did it?” I put a hand to her face and wiped away her tears.  
“If you think I’m a blubbering mess, you should see Rita,” she laughs to relieve the tension, “she’s twice as bad as me.”  
“Really?” I say surprised. Ali nodded  
“She hasn’t left her apartment all week. When I went to visit her, she looked like guilt was nawing away at her. She said she can’t come to visit you because she knows she did that to you. She said she’s sorry.” I hug her to get her to calm down.  
“It’s all ok. I’m fine now. We have been friends for so long, the three of us. Nothing can break us apart, you're my sisters. Of course I forgive you, both of you.”  
We sit there hugging until she calms down.  
“So, what’s actually wrong with you?” She asks wiping her eyes. I tell her all that the doctor told us.  
When she leaves, Ben comes back in, with a huge smile on his gorgeous face. I know what he’s done.  
“How long were you standing there? How much did you hear?” His smirk grows bigger.  
“Enough to make me fall even more in love with you.” I give a slight smile as he walks over to the bed, slides in next to me and continues.  
“You forgave without mercy, even though we both know that it’s partly their fault.”  
“They were changing unconsciously, it couldn’t be helped. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t changed myself.”  
“You changed for the better though. You are a good person, and I love you so much.”  
“I love you too.” We sit there in a comfortable silence, enjoying the closeness and each other’s company. Then out of the blue, Ben asked a rather important question.  
“Would you like to move in with me?” he breathed heavily.  
“Hm?” I wasn’t paying too much attention, but the question caught me by surprise.  
“I mean, we’ve been together for over half a year and I want to keep an eye on you in your condition. The doctor said you can’t be unsupervised, and we practically live with each other anyway.” He’s rambling because he’s nervous I’ll reject the offer. I know him too well.  
“Ben…” I try to stop him rambling but he doesn’t stop. I have to kiss him to shut him up.  
“It would be my honour to live with you,” I say calmly when his face breaks out into a huge grin.  
“I can have Ali get your stuff together and take it to mine, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, and we can sort other things out when your better. Ok?” He asks hopefully.  
“Perfect,” I whisper and we fall asleep with our foreheads touching and wrapped up in each other’s limbs.  
When I next wake up, it’s the morning and the day I’m allowed to leave this hospital. Ben is still asleep, so I slither out of his iron grip and grab my phone. I have a really short conversation with Ali arranging for her to take my clothes and essentials to Bens house. When that was arranged I slid back into the bed and thought about the rest of the moving arrangements. I didn’t let on, but I was really excited about living with Ben. I know we practically already live together, but I loved the idea of making it official.  
By the time Ben woke up, I was eager to get home. Home, I like the sound of that. One of the nurses took me to the wash rooms to have a quick wash and to clean my teeth, which I had been wanting to do as soon as I woke up. Another nurse came and collected all of my stuff together. They offered to get me a wheelchair, but I thought it would be nice to stretch my legs. I changed into a pair of joggers and a top, Ben grabbed my bag and we left with the nurses and doctors words in our heads, “Don’t exhaust yourself…at all! We mean it!”  
I was a bit unsure on my feet, but I had Bens arm for support.  
As soon as we got home, I walked into his kitchen and started looking through his freezer.  
“What are you doing?” He asks.  
“I fancy some ice cream and I know you have some, I know you too well.” He laughs at me and grabs some spoons from the draw, then, when I have the tub, he picks me up gently and carries me to the sofa. When the tub is nearly done, I ‘accidentally’ drop some onto his neck.  
“Oops,” I say before licking it off.  
“You’re going to pay for that,” he says before dropping some on my chest, which he too licks off. His lips start to make his way up along my neck before reaching my mouth. I wrap one of my arms around his neck and dug another one of my hands into his hair. He moved so that he was on top of me. I teased the hem of his top, tugged it up over his shoulders and threw it onto the floor. I knew by now what we both wanted but we weren’t allowed to have. But the passion and hunger behind the kisses made me need more. It was Ben who broke apart.  
“No, we cant,” he breathes.  
“Yes we can, please,” I whisper, almost whining.  
“No, as much as I’d like to I don’t want to hurt you. Anyway, the doctor said not to exhaust yourself.” I sigh.  
“Fine.” He attacks his lips on mine again, but this time its less hungry. The doorbell rings, making us break apart quickly. I go to get up, but Ben pushes me down saying, “I’ll get this.”  
He grabs his shirt and shoves it over his head. When he opens the door, I hear Ali’s voice, and Ben inviting her in. She walks in with two boxes box full of clothes. Not a lot.  
“Is this all you own,” she asks.  
“Pretty much.”  
“Jesus, after living in your flat for about a year, you only have two box full of belongings? How tight are you?”  
“Very,” I reply laughing. Ben walks in.  
“Wow, you must have very good willpower. As soon as I see something, I buy it!” He laughs.  
“I know, I’ve seen your walk in wardrobe. It’s huge! It takes up half the house!” I tease him.  
“You have to admit its great though!” He admits.  
“Yeah, I guess so.” I agree.  
“So why do you own so little clothing?” Ali asks.  
“Well I only really need dance clothes and some nice ones to look presentable in. I buy dresses as I need them then auction off to various different charities after I’ve worn them. And lets face it, when I’m at home, I’m so lazy I don’t even bother changing,” I admit.  
After Ali left, Ben offered to run me a bath. I’m so tired that my legs struggled up the stairs and getting into the bathtub. Ben has been so great to me. He carried me up the stairs and helped me out of my clothes and into the bathtub. He sits on the edge of the tub, holding my hand as I soak, to ensure that I don’t fall asleep.  
“When are you going back to work,” I ask, knowing that he can’t look after me forever.  
“Whenever your better,” he tells me.  
“Ben, you can’t put your life on hold for me. I am ok.”  
“I’ll believe that when you’re up to your full health again. The only place I want to be is here with you, and if I were to go to work all I would do is worry about you.” He admits so openly to me, and I love that about our relationship.  
“So what are you going to do?”  
“The production company will move filming back by a month or two, maybe more. They won’t film without their leading man.”  
He helps me out of the bath, and wraps me in a fluffy towel. He kisses my shoulder, then walks out so I can do things like clean my teeth. When he walked in again, my eyes were starting to become unfocused with tiredness, and I was combing my hair. Over the past week, it had gotten very knotted, so it was a nightmare trying to get the knots out. As I was yanking out the knots Ben walked in a took the brush from my hands.  
“I could hear you yanking away outside, it sounded really painful.” He gently pulled the comb through and soon the knots were non-existent.  
“There,” he says, “All it needed was some TLC.”  
By that time I was really tired, so I just leant on Ben, putting my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he picked me up like a toddler, holing me up with a hand on my bum. I don’t think I made it to the bedroom before I fell asleep.  
We spent the entire of the next day in bed, just talking and kissing lazily.  
We talked about anything and everything. When Ben asked about my parents, I realised that I had never told him before.  
“My mum died giving birth to me. My dad hated me for that. He mostly left me for Gran to look after me. We all moved over here when I was 11, but Gran moved back about 6 years ago. My dad died 5 years ago from drug abuse, silly bastard. I tried to help him, but he refused help from a ‘murderer’, as he called me.” Ben pulled me closer.  
“I’m sorry,” he whispered in my ear.  
“I’m not, I got over it ages ago. Why hold onto the past?” I sit up in a sudden panic and realised.  
“I haven’t called Gran in a whole week! She doesn’t know I was in hospital! Shit!” I go to move and grab my phone but Ben stops me.  
“I wasn’t going to tell you anything, but before you went into hospital, you told me about your Gran. When you were in hospital I called her to tell her. I also called her when you woke up and when you were in the bathroom yesterday.” He tells me, and I lie back down. And sigh.  
“Thank you,” I breathe deeply. How did I not remember telling him.  
“How could I have forgotten that I told you?” I ask, not knowing how I could have forgotten telling my favourite person in the whole world about my other most favourite person in the world.  
“You did say that you had suffered a bit of memory loss before, maybe you just forgot it,” he reasoned. I hum in response.  
He also asked whether I wanted to go for a spa weekend.  
“It might be a good idea,” he reasoned.  
“I’d love to go to a spa! I’ve never been to one before,” I tell him. He gets out of bed to get him laptop and we booked it there and then, to go to a spa in a remote place in the East Midlands, and we would be going in a week for two days and two nights. I was thoroughly looking forward to it. Time away from busy London.  
“I think I might dye my hair my natural colour.” I say out of the blue. Ben looks a bit surprised.  
“I don’t think I know what your natural colour is do I?”  
“I don’t think so. Its light brown, but I might add blonde highlights to liven it up a bit.”  
“that sounds nice, I’d like to see your natural colour. Why did you dye it red anyway?”  
“The girls thought it would be really cool if we all had hair colours that really stuck out, so Ali dyed hers beach blonde, Rita kept hers black and I dyed mine red. I like it red, but I think its time for a change. Might get a cut as well, but not too much off, I like it long.” I hadn’t noticed that Ben was playing with my hair until I turned to look at him. Damn, I love those eyes. And his gingerness. I just love him.  
“What are you thinking about now?” He asks.  
“I’m thinking about how much I love you, and how I never want to be with anyone else but you,” I tell him. He leans forward and gives me a lazy kiss and pulls me into another hug. My stomach started rumbling loudly. Ben chuckles, “I think someone’s hungry.”  
“Yeah, the ice cream last night wasn’t very filling, I kept on spilling it everywhere,” I flirt. My stomach rumbles again, just a noisily as the first time. I look at my stomach and tell it to shut up, making Ben laugh as he walks out to make food. When he comes back, he has two plates of pasta.  
As we eat we discuss the press.  
“Do they know anything about me being hospital?” I ask.  
“They pictured me as I went into hospital to see you, and Ali when she visited, they knew about the tour being rescheduled, so they put two and two together and guessed you were in hospital. My publicist gave out an official statement explaining that I wasn’t going to work until you were better again, and Ali also gave a statement saying you were in hospital,” He tells me, but then makes a face as if there is something else.  
“What?” I ask.  
“Umm… well they, uh, heard rumours that you are pregnant.”  
“Oh.” I say simply.  
“Yes, but it hasn’t seen printing yet. I’m going to get my publicist to say something to extinguish that rumour.”  
“Yes, that might be for the best,” I say. There is a slight pause in the conversation. As he gets our empty dishes and puts them on the bedside table.  
“Would you ever have kids?” Benedict finally asks. A huge smile plasters my face.  
“Definitely, I’ve always planned on having kids. I love the little bundles of joy!” He sighs in relief.  
“I knew you worked with kids, but I didn’t know if you would have any of your own,” he smiles.  
“I’d love to have your babies, can you imagine little Cumberbabies running around the place?” He laughs happily and pulls me into a huge hug.  
We spend the next day in the garden, making the most of the good British weather. We stretch out on the on, with me using his arm as a pillow.  
“Can I go and see Rita tomorrow?” I ask, “I haven’t seen her since I went into hospital, and I really need to speak with her.” Ben seemed hesitant.  
“I guess its ok, but are you sure you’re up to it?” He asked worriedly.  
“I’m sure. I can’t bear not knowing where I stand with her. From what Ali said, she seemed really guilty about it. I think the sooner I see her, the better.”  
“Ok, sure…yes,” he seemed really uneasy about it, but I guess that’s understandable seeing as the last time they saw each other they were having a shouting match. We settled down and enjoyed each other’s embrace in the sun.  
Ben took me in the car to see Rita. We both discussed that he would sit in the car while we talk.  
I knocked on the door, and a moment later it opened, and I could see what Ali meant. Rita looked like she hadn’t looked after herself for a while.  
“Hi,” I say to her with a slight smile that she didn’t replicate. She just stared at me, as if I wasn’t actually there. I let her stare at me, and I just stared back. I could see her eyes begin to water, until the tension was lost when she scooped me up into a huge hug, and she cried into my shoulder.  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she kept on repeating in my ear.  
I comforted her like I would a child, rubbing her back and running my hand through her hair. When she finally calmed down, she invited me inside. We talked about everything, like we did before everything else happened. We discussed my health, the tour, all that I said to Ali. Everything basically. Just as I was about to leave, she grabbed my wrist and said something that reduced me to tears.  
“I can’t believe that I ever treated you that way. You were always like a sister to me, and I never questioned the trust you had in me. I hadn’t realised that I was ruining that trust you had in me. All I can hope is that you forgive me in time, when I’ll never be able to forgive myself for everything I’ve put you through. I’m so sorry.” I pulled her into a hug and wept into her shoulder, like she did earlier.  
“I’m going to say one thing to you, and I’ve said the same to Ali, word for word. We have been friends for so long, the three of us. Nothing can break us apart, you're my sisters. Of course I forgive you, both of you. I could never live without you two, and I love you both very dearly.” We hug some more, then I take my leave.  
The next day, we go to visit Benedict’s parents. And I can honestly say I have never been so spoilt in my entire life. I think I went home a stone heavier than I arrived. I sat there for the whole day and ate cake until lunch, then ate more cake, then had dinner. Wanda had been cooking yesterday, hence the huge amounts of cake. I decided that, whilst Ben and his dad was in deep conversation, that I would go and help Wanda in the kitchen as she was cooking dinner. She had just put the stew into the oven, and it looked like she had already done everything.  
“Oh, I was just coming to help, but it seems I was too slow,” I say apologetically.  
“Nonsense,” she laughed, “Even if there was something to, I still wouldn’t let you help, not in your condition,” she mockingly scolds me. I laugh a bit, but then my face drops, that’s exactly what Ben does.  
These last couple of days, everyone has been so protective of me, especially Ben. Like I can’t do anything without supervision. I know that’s what the doctor said, but this was taking the pee. Wanda noticed the change on my face.  
“Why don’t we take a walk in the garden?” she suggests.  
Their garden is like a picture from a fairy tale book. There were blooming flowers everywhere I looked, all a variety of bright and exotic colours. At the end of the garden, there is a solitary huge willow tree, with a swing attached to one of the branches.  
“Your garden is amazing, like something from a fantasy land,” I tell her.  
“Well, I should hope so. I pay the gardener well. I let him live here and everything,” She jokes.  
“Tim does all of this? Wow!” I sigh out in wonder. We walk over to the tree and she sits on the swing, and I sit on the grass in front of her.  
“Benedict used to sit on this swing all day long, he used to put up a fight so he didn’t have to get off it,” she chuckled at the memory. This brought a faint smile to my lips.  
“He truly does love you. You should’ve heard the panic in his voice when he told us you were in hospital. He was a right mess. How is he treating you at home?” she asks.  
“He’s being a dream, he’s always so kind to me,” I tell her. She nods cautiously.  
“He’s not being too kind is he? I know he can be a bit clingy sometimes.”  
“Sometimes I feel like he’s treading on eggshells around me. But it’s not just him, its everyone else as well. No one lets me do anything on my own. It makes me feel so helpless. And I don’t like feeling helpless,” I tell her truthfully. “But I know he just wants to keep me safe. And I couldn’t wish for a more caring man in my life.” She sighed.  
“Yes, I know how you feel. But you just have to remember that people do it because they love you. And also, last week Benedict was so scared, that the one he cared about most in this world would be in harms way, it tore him in two,” she tells me.  
“I know. And I love him so much for that.”  
“You have such a kind selfless heart. You have helped him so much. He has been ever so insecure since his last girlfriend. So from me and Timothy, thank you.”  
I stood up and gave her a hug, “No, thank you for raising the best man I have ever had the good fortune to meet.”  
When we both pulled back, she stood from the swing and said, “Well, I’d better go and check on the stew, are you coming?”  
“Is it ok if I stay out here a bit longer, I really do love your garden,” I ask.  
“Of course, I’ll call you for dinner,” And she walked inside.  
I sat there, thinking about my future. I could, after the tour was over, only work when I need to. If I did something like become a solo artist, I would only have to work when I need to, but we could also still do some group work. With more time on my hands I could settle down, have kids and get married. Whatever I saw, the future looked good. I close my eyes and smile, but I have no idea how long I was sat there for. I am awoken from my thoughts from a small shake on my shoulder.  
“Christie,” Bens voice whispers in my ear. When I open my eyes, his face is directly in front of mine. His face has a warm smile on it.  
“What were you dreaming about? You had a smile on your face,” he says in a quiet voice, as if not to disturb the nature.  
“Our future,” I whisper.  
“It must look really good in your mind. You looked really happy,” he whispers, taking hold of my arms and pulling me up slowly, so his tall frame made me look tiny.  
“It was beautiful,” I tell him.  
“Good, because I’m going to spend mine with you,” he says before pulling me into a hungry kiss. We are broken apart by Wanda’s voice shouting to Ben, “I told you to tell her dinner was ready, not to eat her face off!”  
We lean our foreheads against each other’s and laugh. He then takes my hand and leads me back to the house.  
We spend the week with each other and it was bliss. We went on little outings, visiting people and going for walks, so I was never bored. I went to the hairdressers and got my natural colour back, which Ben liked. His new way to wake me up in the morning was to run his hands through my hair. As we were packing to go on our weekend, Ben told me to pack something nice.  
“Why?” I ask, we’re only going to a spa.  
“No questions, just do it,” he grins at me.  
“What kind of nice?” I ask, trying to tease more information out of him.  
“Well, it doesn’t matter to much, you’re always beautiful to me.” I laugh.  
“Ha, you’re such a cheeseball!”  
“Yeah, but I’m a lovable cheeseball,” he flirts.  
“I suppose so,” I tease him.  
“You suppose so? Well, I’ll just have to prove that to you,” and he runs over to me and grabs me into a hug, and launches us onto the bed, but twists so I land on his chest. My hands are placed on his chest, and we both lean into a sweet kiss. I move to deepen the kiss, but he pulls back and says, “No, if we start now, we’ll never get ourselves packed.”


	3. The Weekend Away

We set off the next day in his Jaguar, both dressed in joggers and hoodies. My hair was tossed up in a lazy bun, and my face was completely bare of make up. When we sat in the car, Ben pulled out his sunglasses. I can’t help but laugh.  
“Swaggy,” I tell him.  
“Well, at least I don’t have the sun in my eyes,” he argues. I pull out my sunglasses, and placed them on my face. My beautiful sunglasses were some that I got from a joke shop a few years ago, with palm trees coming out of the top of them. I have literally never seen him laugh so hard.  
“You look ridiculous!” he couldn’t even breathe.  
On the journey there, I ask him if he has any CD’s.  
“Yeah, sure,” and he opens the armrest to reveal a load of CD’s. I look through them to find a good one to listen to. I come across our new album.  
“You bought our CD?” I ask him.  
“Of course I did, why wouldn’t I want to listen to your beautiful voice?” I laugh at him.  
“You’re definitely a cheeseball, but I love you,” I tell him still giggling.  
I settle on the best of the Beatles. We spend the majority of the journey singing along. The spa and hotel was a huge manor house, with the rooms converted into suites and treatment rooms. When we checked in, they told us we had to walk around in dressing gowns and flip-flops. They gave us the key to our room, and got ready for our treatments for the day. A hot stone massage, a facial, reflexology and a nail treatment. Ben told me that toady was the day with most treatments in, and that tomorrow was less busy.   
I the massage room, we were both told to lie face down on the beds. The young girl had a huge smile on her face as she did Ben’s massage. I have to admit, my smile may have dropped a bit. Somehow, Ben saw this, and reached over for my hand, which I reached to his too, making me smile. That wiped the smile of the girls face. By the time all of the treatments had been done, I was in need of a nap. Just recently, I lost energy really easily since the hospital. Ben noticed this, and grabbed my hand as we walked through the huge house.  
“Let me show you somewhere I found last time I was here.” He led me to a room that was really cut off from the rest of the huge house. He pulled me into a room with the words ‘nap room’ on the door. The room was dark, with dim fairy lights covering the walls. The whole floor was like a huge mattress, with pillows and beanbags scattered around. There was no one in there. He led me to the corner of the room and began to sat down, bringing me with him. I fell asleep on his chest, with him running his hand through my hair. I woke up about an hour later, by Ben whispering loving things in my ear. I surprised him by turning and kissing him tenderly.  
“I love you,” I whisper to him.  
“That never fails to fill my heart with joy,” he admits, “I love you too. So much.”  
We go to the room to get ready for dinner, but this wasn’t the ‘dress up nice’ dinner, that was tomorrow night. A three-course meal later, we stroll back to our hotel room, hand in hand.   
“You know,” Ben starts, “They keep the pool open at night, but no one goes at that time. Do you fancy a swim?”  
“I’d love a late night swim,” and we rush back to the room to get our swimming suits. I laugh at Ben’s ridiculous trunks. I’d seen his blue ones with crabs on before, but I’d never seen these ones. They were deep blue with little monsters on. I laughed, and walked out of our room shaking my head, with him on my tail. I thought, seeing as no one was about, I would wear my new bikini. It was plain white and fit perfectly. I hate seeing models in bikinis that barely cover their boobs.  
“Sexy,” Ben commented.  
“That was the intention,” I tell him.  
Just like ben said, the pool was completely deserted. I dipped my toe in the water, it was warm, just right. I see Ben do the same. Then a wicked idea popped into my head. I pushed him in, I couldn’t help it! I laugh so much, I’m doubled over. I sit on the edge of the pool, with my legs dangling into the water, and still laughing. As my laughter dies down, I have noticed that he hasn’t surfaced for air yet. I look of horror passes over my face.  
“Oh my gosh, Ben,” I shout. I jump in and swim over to where he is. I go underwater and grab under his arms and push him up. I surface after him, and after I rub my eyes, I see his face with a huge smile plastered to it.  
“Ben!” I laugh out of relief that I hadn’t just killed my boyfriend, “I hate you for that!” He joins in with my laughter, but much more hysterical that mine.  
“Ha, your face!” he laughs and points to me.  
“That wasn’t funny!” I smack his chest before pushing my face plant his bare shoulder. “I thought I’d killed you!”  
“Serves you right for pushing me in,” he mockingly scolds, between fits of laughter.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d drown on me!” our giggles dying.  
“Maybe a little kiss better and we can be even?” He cheekily suggests, but with a very low seductive voice. He leans his head to the side, closer to mine, and I do the same. Our lips meet, and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. The hunger in us was so fierce, that when we arrived back at the room, we went against the doctor’s orders.  
The next day, we started the day off with a mud bath, then we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted. We grabbed a tea, and we just walked around for a while. Then I requested that we go back to the nap room for a bit. We spent most of the afternoon in the aqua area, which had loads of really cool stuff in like and aqua massage area, a plunge pool and a sauna. I told Ben that I would need some time to get ready if he wants me to look nice that evening. I went and had a shower, dried my hair, changed into my nice dress and applied a little make up all within half an hour (record time for me). When I finally emerged from the bathroom, I see Ben adjusting his tie in the mirror. He then yanks it off to start again, looking a bit frustrated. I went up to him and clasped my hands around his. His face softens and his grip loosens on his tie, and he lets me tie it for him.  
“You look beautiful,” he whispers.  
“And you look very handsome,” I tell him. He smiles and leans down for a kiss, but I stop him.  
“Unless you want lipstick smeared all over your face, I suggest we don’t.” He grunts in agreement, kisses my cheek and offers my arm to him.  
“You ready?” he asks. I take his arm and he smiles one of his dashing smiles at me.  
Tonight we go to a different restaurant within the manor house. This one was much more classy, and I didn’t feel out of place at all. All throughout dinner, the conversation was like it was all the rest of the time, but Ben seemed a bit quieter tonight than usual. At the end of dinner I started to head back in the direction of the room, but Ben grabbed my hand and looked at me in the eye, but didn’t hold contact for long.  
“Would…” He stammered, “Would you join me on a walk?” I smile at him, trying to calm him down and say , “Of course.” He smiled tightly. Why is he acting weirdly? He reaches for my hand and locks our hands together. We walk around the fantastic manor gardens, and Ben looks like he’s looking for something. I watch his face, he looks around, and when he see’s what he was looking for, his face softens and leads us in the direction he was just looking in. I turn my head to see what he was looking at. I see a huge willow tree, much like the one in his parent’s garden minus the swing. He leads us over to it, the only light was the moonlight beaming down on us. Ben suddenly grabs my hand and spins me so I’m facing him.  
“Christie, I…uh,” he tries to say, but words fail him. He chuckles to himself.  
“I have been thinking all afternoon what to say to you, but now words fail me.’ He takes a breath and starts again.  
“Ever since I first bumped into you at that coffee shop, I knew we were meant to be. I remember being so struck by your brightness and radiance. You have illuminated my life with so many things I didn’t even know existed. Before I was so alone and insecure, and you are the greatest reassurance I could ever have wished for. As I got to know you better, I saw the amazing qualities you possess that made me fall even more in love with you, like your selflessness and your ability to forgive people without mercy. When you had your coma, I cannot express in words how lost I felt without you. You scared me, and I want to make sure that that never happens again.” He drops down onto one knee. By this time, tears were streaming down my face. I lifted a hand over my mouth to stop a huge sob coming out. He reaches into his blazer and pulls out a red velvet box. “It would be my honour if you were to spend the rest of your life with me and I love you so much.” He flips open the lid to reveal a ring. “Will you marry me?”  
“Yes, oh my gosh yes.” He jumps up and wraps his arms around my waist and lifts my feet off the ground.  
“I love you, I cant think of anything I would want to do more than spend the rest of my life with you. Was there ever any doubt?” I smile into the side of his neck. I hear him breathe a sigh of relief. He pulls back, only to grab my face and pull my face towards his, and to push his lips onto mine. At first it was soft and passionate, but it grew into something more. The warmth that was simmering in my heart was now a wild fire, and by the way he holds me closer, I know Ben feels it too. We barely reach our room. As soon as I stepped through the door, I was pushed back against it and his lips attached themselves to mine. His hands cradled my head, and angled it up towards his. For the second time, we ignore the doctor’s orders, but we really don’t care.

On the way home we discuss anything and everything. We don’t want a huge wedding. A little ceremony with a small reception, including only family and close friends. We said that on the way back, we would pop into is parents then tell them the news. We were both singing along to one of his old CD’s when my phone started ringing. Ben turned the stereo down as I answered. I didn’t recognise the number, but I answered it anyway.  
“Hello?”  
“Hello, is that Christine Foster?”  
“Yes, it is.”  
“It’s Doctor Williams here. I have some details regarding your check-up.”  
“Ok,” I cast a glance to Ben who was looking worried. I give him a smile, and the creases on his forehead flattened out a bit.  
“Yes, so there is an slot next week available, when we will be taking a blood sample. Is that ok?”  
“Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you.”  
“Ok then, take care.”  
“You too, thanks.”  
As soon as I’m off the phone, Ben asks, “Who was it?”  
“It was the hospital, they’ve scheduled my appointment for next week,” I tell him rather glumly.  
“Don’t worry, it’ll be ok. We’ll get through this together,” he says grabbing my hand and giving a gentle squeeze. 

I decide that the best way to tell Ali and Rita was to have a girl’s night out. Ben wasn’t very happy with he idea of me going out, but I managed to persuade him, with the help of his mum, that I will be ok for one night. Now that everything has been sorted out with the girls, it was much easier to negotiate where we would go. Instead of dragging me to a club, we went to a restaurant.  
“Right, I have news,” I tell them.  
“Oooh, ok tell us!” they both encouraged me.  
“Well, I’m a bit surprised you haven’t noticed already,” I tell them and I hold my hand out for them to see.  
“Oh my god, oh my god!” they keep on squealing as they hug me. I tell them all the details that they are dying to hear.  
The next morning, I wake up really early, so I slipped downstairs to make some coffee and read the paper. There is never anything interesting, but I read it anyway. I regret picking it up as soon as I saw the front page. There is a picture of me, Ali and Rita walking out of the restaurant, then a zoom in on my hand where the ring is clearly visible. The subtitle ‘Cumberbatch Engaged?’ said it all. I turned to the page that the story was on. There are the same two pictures again, and another one below of Ben and me at a film premier. It read:  
‘One of the hottest Hollywood actors of the moment , Benedict Cumberbatch, may have proposed to his singer girlfriend, Christie Foster. The rising star singer was seen leaving a London restaurant flashing a ring. The cute couple, Cumberbatch 37 and Foster 33, have been dating for about nine months since they both appeared on the Graham Norton Show together. The couple were seen leaving Westminster Hospital hand in hand. We have no evidence of what this could be, but could there be some Cumberbabies on the way?’  
I scrunch the paper up and leave it on the side for recycling. As I sit in the kitchen and sip my coffee, I hear Ben wandering down the stairs.  
“Whatever you do, don’t read the papers,” he tells me as he walks into the kitchen.  
“Too late,” I tell him, and nod my head over in the direction of the shrivelled up paper.  
“Ah,” he states simply as I pass him his morning coffee. We sit there in silence as I sip my coffee and he eats some cereal. When I wash up the breakfast pots, he comes up behind me, slides his arms around my waist and rests his head on my shoulder.  
“Don’t let it get to you. We’ll get through this, ok? Don’t get…” A sudden anger for the press rushes through me.  
“If you say don’t get stressed, I’ll…” I spit through gritted teeth. I stop myself and immediately feel guilty. “Damn, I was doing well up until then,” I sigh and turn around to face plant his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I whimper as one solitary tear soaks into his pyjama top. He begins to whisper in my ear.  
“You’re doing so well with everything, and I’m so proud of you.” I lift my head from his shoulder. “So what you have to do, is keep your chin up,” He says lifting up my chin with his fingers, “and keep on smiling like the radiant person you are.” This makes me smile.  
“You always know what to say, and how to cheer me up,” I tell him.  
“You would do the same for me, and that’s why we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together,” I smiled as I realised that I have the perfect fiancé.  
We cuddled in the kitchen for a while.  
“I have my check-up appointment today,” I muffle into his chest.  
“Yes, I know.” I feel his chest vibrate as he speaks.  
“Will you come with me?” I ask.  
“If you want me there, I’ll go.”

“Take a seat Miss Foster, Mr Cumberbatch.” The doctor ushered us into his office.  
“Has there been any problems since last time I saw you?”  
“Not that I’ve noticed,” I say.  
“She still shivers in her sleep,” Ben tells him.  
“Ok.” The doctor makes a note of that before turning back to us. “So, these check-up sessions will basically include me taking some blood and checking the sugar and hormone levels. These appointments will be taking place every few weeks. Now, any questions?”  
We both shake our heads.  
“Right then, if you can give me your arm, I’m going to take a blood sample. When he pricks the needle in my arm, I blink, but Ben is there, holding my hand.  
As always.


End file.
